Council commits city to 40% cut in energy use
City council agreed to a Community Energy Plan Monday that targets reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in Windsor by 40 per cent over the next 24 years.
The intent is to reduce the environmental impact of the city’s energy use in an economically viable way,” consultant Peter Garforth said as he explained the importance of the CEP, that took 18 months to create.
It makes the case that the Windsor community spent more than $842 million on natural gas, electricity and fuels in 2014, a figure that’s going to climb if nothing’s done, to between $1.8 billion and $3.1 billion by 2014.
The CEP goals include: increasing the efficiency of all new and existing buildings in the city; encourage industries and to shift to low-carbon technologies; foster a shift in transportation so vehicles are low-carbon and people use public transportation and cycling more frequently; design neighbourhoods as “complete communities” that offer public transportation and other transportation options; change behaviour toward a culture of energy conservation; and educate and train people to “deliver innovative energy solutions at the local scale.”
Councillors noted that many of the actions laid out in the CEP are out of the municipality’s scope.
“We can play a leadership role but it’s not something we can dictate,” agreed the city’s CAO Onorio Colucci.
If the city can fulfil the CEP’s aims, the city would save $8.6 billion to $12.4 billion over the next 24 years. Karina Richters, the city ’s supervisor of environmental sustainability and climate change, said it will be a challenge convincing people to get aboard with the plan. “But I think if we look at the overall benefit and look at the risk if we do nothing, that people will recognize the great rewards.”